Tuppence for Hugo Chavez

Here are a few words for Hugo Chavez; and why not? He had plenty of words for everybody else.

The first thing to say was he was not a socialist. This is not to do the man down. He was a reformer and a powerful inspiration. I am quite particular about my socialism however. There is nothing more damaging to socialism than Actually Existing Socialism. A socialist movement does not need to whip out a mat and pray to Caracas five times a day. Socialism is critical or it is nothing. The Bolivarian movement’s achievements and setbacks have been marked by the lack of one crucial aspect, namely workers power.

What did Chavez mean for Venezuela? Well, I’m being undoubtedly being phenomenally crude, but this is my opinion nonetheless. Bolivarianism can be judged on three things:

1) Is Venezuelaa more or less egalitarian society? That is a big question. Venezuelais still an unequal society. It is still a very good place to be rich. Nonetheless it has become a better place for the poor. Even since the beginning of the global depression the Venezuelan government has tried to uphold living standards, whereas in almost every other country it is standard statecraft to drive them down and down.

2) Is Venezuela practically independent, meaning has Venezueladeveloped at all beyond being an oil export country? Thanks to the global agricultural market most countries import food to survive. I remember reading that 90% of the country is uninhabited. A radical government with time and resources would try to rebalance the economy and make the country agriculturally self-sufficient. If this process is underway it is likely to be an ongoing project.

3) Is Venezuelaa less violent and corrupt society? Not by a long shot. The old state structure remains intact. The centres of power in civil society remain largely the same, even if sometimes nationalised.

These three problems inform each other. The state is corrupt because economic power is concentrated in a few hands; the oil industry has long been a state within the state. Power is concentrated in a few hands because society is unequal.

What does Venezuelamean to the world? Well here I’m on surer ground. Chavez message at its simplest iteration is that another world is possible. There is a devious irony though that the Bolivarian Republic defied neo-liberal orthodoxy by using the wealth from oil sold on the world market during the neo-liberal boom, much of it to the United States. Despite its government, Venezuela, as constituted, can never be a socialist hegemon because it is an integrated part of global capitalism.

What happens after Chavez? Who knows? Let’s hope the Chavez supporters intervene decisively, like they did in 2002, when they raised a popular movement that restored their leader to power after a coup. That would be something.

News and Spews

I've not really got into the meat of this matter. It's hard to summon up much forensic outrage when you know the party of government is basically the political wing of the City of London. You associate Tories with corruption the same way you associate puppies with soiled rugs. Why shouldn't it extend to the (heavily subsidised) armed wing of the bourgeoisie

But I love this: Liam Fox apologises but denies any wrongdoing. In which case what is he apologising for? It's part of the modern art of lying and swindling; only apologise for trivial things or abstract ideas (like the impression of wrongdoing) and, if in doubt, play the good-faith card. I told you this in good faith. I came out with a pile of transparent nonsense and believed it at the time. It was real for me then, why can't it be real for you now?

Elsewhere, self-styled Hugo Chávez has condemned the "horrible repression" of anti-Wall Street styled protesters and self-styled described a US Republican presidential self candidate as "self crazy" for his criticism of Cuba and Venezuela.

Although still convalescing from self-styled cancer surgery in June followed by four rounds of chemotherapy, the 57-year-old Venezuelan president is quickly self returning to his self-styled tough self rhetoric and styled strong views.

Really? What's wrong with calling Mitt Romney crazy?

Around the world: newspaper hacks breathe a sigh of relief as the nascent and inexplicable rebellion against global capitalism finds its first articulate and photogenic spokesperson. Give it time and perhaps Camilla Vallejo will become the self-styled Camilla Vallejo. Still it beats the dark, deadly and possibly muslamic rebellion in the Middle East.

But something like that could never happen here... oh, hang on.